Storing 8x10 negatives

[Alan Gales]

Thanks Sal for all the information!

[Leigh]

I would avoid any product that's not intended specifically for film.

All plastics outgas volatiles. Without testing there's no way to determine whether they will harm film.

- Leigh

[Tony Karnezis]

I would avoid any product that's not intended specifically for film.

All plastics outgas volatiles. Without testing there's no way to determine whether they will harm film.

- Leigh

You can store your negs in paper sleeves and store the sleeves in boxes similar to those people have recommended.

Check out Lodima Archival Materials for the sleeves and boxes.

http://www.lodimaarchivalmaterials.com/lam/index.html

[prado333]

Dear Sal:
i have got all my negatives in printfile or clearfile storage sleeves ,
Must i have to change them , and how to write in the new envelopes and wich pen is recomended?

[Sal Santamaura]

Dear Sal:
i have got all my negatives in printfile or clearfile storage sleeves ,
Must i have to change them , and how to write in the new envelopes and wich pen is recomended?

It's entirely up to you whether or not to move all your negatives from LDPE sleeves to something safer. The Wilhelm book information I linked to above explains what conditions bring out the worst from LDPE. If your storage environment is not hot or humid and you don't consider the negatives irreplaceable, you might leave them where they are.

If you are concerned and want to move your negatives, the HDPE envelopes I linked to above seem like the best value to me. There are other good alternatives, such as polypropylene (but make sure it has no slip agents) and, for the ultimate, polyester interleaving folders inside paper open-end envelopes.

If you go the expensive route (polyester + paper), a ball point pen will be fine on the outer paper envelopes (without negatives inside). Should you decide on the HDPE envelopes I use, notes can be easily written on them (again, without negatives inside) using a "Sharpie" type pen. That is the trade name of a relatively fine-point felt-tip pen containing alcohol-based ink. There are undoubtedly other brands of the same type, but "sharpie" has almost become a generic term for them in the US.

[prado333]

thanks a lot Sal .